THE BULGARIAN TRADITION ‘JULY MORNING’

On 1st of July every year, thousands of people gather along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast to meet the sunrise.

As part of the 30 year old tradition, the first sun rays this year were met with Uriah Heep’s song ‘July Morning’.

People gather around fires, sharing drinks and playing music, while they wait for the sunrise.

The ‘July Morning’ tradition dates back to the hippie period in the 1970s and 1980s and originated as a protest against the restrictions of the communist regime. The meeting of the sunrise was a symbol of meeting a new beginning and a better future.

Nowadays this meaning is lost, but the sun worship as a symbol of a new beginning in life motivates young people to keep the tradition live.